The Plaid Pig Café, one of Lake Charles newest eateries, opened early February in the Lake Charles Transit and Customer Service building. Not surprisingly, owner Denise Bertrand furnished her establishment with a bounty of whimsical pigs. The theme is a tribute to her grandmother, Lessie Landry. "My grandmother collected pigs,” says Bertrand. "When she died, my sister, cousins and I all got to pick a pig. I chose one with a plaid kerchief. After I got married, my husband had a Harley Davidson, and I started giving him pig figurines. Then people started giving us pigs.” And that is how a large collection gets started.

After a gander around the charming café, peruse the menu. Bertrand offers a handful of specialty sandwiches, all available on your choice of croissant, jalapeno, and artisan breads. Best-sellers include the Frenchie (shaved steak, caramelized onions, Swiss and American cheeses all toasted until melted), Gingham Girl (homemade chicken salad, arugula, and toasted pecans), and Ben’s Best (grilled chicken breast, goat cheese, mozzarella, and garlic aioli). Ben, if you are curious, is Bertrand’s 11-year-old son and those sandwich ingredients were his idea. Caesar and house salads are on the menu. And her gumbo (another best-seller) is offered every day, as well as a different soup each day. "I love making soup,” says Bertrand. "I could eat soup all the time. It doesn’t matter the weather.” The Plaid Pig also offers muffins and breakfast sandwiches in the mornings.

Do save some room and check out Bertrand’s dessert case! Many of the tempting items there were treats she and her sister grew up with, such as haystacks. You’ll also find brownies, cookies, cupcakes, chocolate-covered pretzels, chocolate-covered Oreos, and more. The popular piggy patties -- double chocolate chip cookies half-dipped in dark chocolate -- are something new and named by her mother DeDe Benoit, who works in the café alongside Bertrand, as does her friend Denise Caraway. "I owe all this to my mom,” Bertrand says. "She always loved cooking. I got that from her, and now we’re doing it together. I’m very happy that she’s here with me. I couldn’t do it without her.”

Born and raised in Lake Charles, Bertrand is no newbie to the Lake Area restaurant scene. She worked at the City Club as a hostess in high school. At age 20, they had an opening in the kitchen and that’s when she began her career as a cook. A decade or so later, she opened Renee’s Café in what was then the Hibernia Building (now Capital One Tower). When her son was born, she sold that business. Recently, when the space in the Transit Building became available for rent, Bertrand checked it out and was soon back in business. "It must have been meant to be because it all fell into place.”

The Plaid Pig is located at 1155 Ryan St., Lake Charles. Call 337-600-2088 for more information or find them on Facebook.